Selma in running for complex to meet veteran housing needs

By David DeKunder :
November 19, 2012

Selma is being considered as a possible site for a new housing complex that will serve the needs of service members, including wounded warriors.

The Anthem Project, a Florida-based group, is looking to constructing a 150-to-180 unit complex, which would house and provide services for enlisted and disabled service members.

City Administrator Ken Roberts said the proposed military-oriented complex would be similar to the one Anthem is developing in Miami, a 500-unit residential complex that will accommodate the needs of veterans and disabled veterans.

“The Anthem Project has been in existence for several years,” Roberts said. “Their market is wounded warriors in rehab and young soldiers who otherwise wouldn't have a place to live.”

The proposed housing complex's amenities include a fitness center, business center, game room, spaces for rehabilitation activities and areas that showcase the works of local artists. Complex residents will have access to several services, including homebuyer education, financial counseling, nutritional education and health screenings. The complex will be under 24-hour supervision.

Pinnacle Housing Group, a Miami-based real estate development company, is helping the Anthem Project find a possible site in Selma to build a complex.

The company has developed 35 housing complexes, throughout the southeastern U.S. and Texas, including a 120-unit complex in Tyler, Texas. Pinnacle is in the process of developing additional housing units in Abilene and Denton.

Roberts said the Anthem Project intends to apply for tax credits through the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs in January, a process that will take until July. He said it is possible the project could break ground in the summer.

The Anthem Project will aim for 100 percent occupancy rate for service members at the complex, Roberts said, but if they can't meet that goal than the remaining units will be leased to non-service members.